about whether that wish of theirs is going to be granted or whether the public has a right to know. watch this space. set your news alarm clock tomorrow. alarm clock for that one tomorrow. "first look" is up next. good thursday morning. right now on "first look," nbc news exclusive, edward snowden talks only to brian williams about 9/11, espionage and believing that he is a patriot. >> being a patriot means knowing when to protect your country, knowing when to protect your constitution, knowing when to protect your countrymen. >> that and much more in this revealing interview. scathing report. the inspector general's v.a. report is damning. embattled secretary shinseki. plus maya angelou. we'll take an in-depth look.

and chicago's mayor aggressively cracking down on guns. good morning, i'm richard lui. revealing details from edward snowden's first television interview. brian williams sitting down with the nsa leaker in moscow where he is currently living in asylum. williams saying snowden came armed with talking points ready to tell a story. no questions were off limits. >> to your knowledge, there is nothing in what you have handed over to the journalists materially damaging or threatening to the military or national security? >> there's nothing that would be published that would harm the public interest. these are programs that need to be understood, that need to be known, that require deep background and context for research that are difficult to report, but they're of critical public importance. >> in your mind, though, are you blameless? have you done, as you look at this, just a good thing?

have you performed, as you see it, a public service? >> i think it can be both. i think the most important idea is to remember that there have been times throughout american history where what is right is not the same as what is legal. i think it's important to remember that people don't set their lives on fire. they don't say good-bye to their families, actually pack up without saying good-bye to their families. they don't walk away from their extraordinary, extraordinarily comfortable lives. i mean, i made a lot of money for a guy with no high school diploma. and burned down everything they love for no reason. >> and snowden also talked about a computer program that could, as he put it, get inside your thought process. >> when i think about an instance that really just struck

me as oh, my god, we can do this, and that we can do it to anyone was that people at nsa, analysts, can actually watch people's internet communications, watch them draft correspondence and actually watch their thoughts form as they type, as you write a message, and analysts at the nsa or any other service out there that's using this kind of attack against people can actually see you write sentences and then backspace over your mistakes and then change the words and kind of pause and then think about what you wanted to say and then change it. and it's this extraordinary intrusion, not just into your communications, your finished messages, but your actual drafting process, into the way you think. >> snowden also revealed his memories of 9/11. >> what did 9/11 mean to you?

>> i've never told anybody this, no journalist, but i was on fort mead on september 11th. i was right outside the nsa. so i remember -- i remember the tension on that day. i remember hearing on the radio the planes hitting. and i remember thinking my grandfather, who worked for the fbi at the time, was in the pentagon when the plane hit it. i take the threat of terrorism seriously. and i think we all do. and i think it's really disingenuous for the government to invoke and sort of scandalize our memories, to sort of exploit the national trauma that we all suffered together and worked so hard to come through, to justify programs that have never been shown to keep us safe but cost us liberties and freedoms that

we don't need to give up, and our constitution says we should not give up. if we want to be free, we can't become subject to surveillance. we can't give away our privacy. we can't give away our rights. we have to be an active party. we have to be an active part of our government. and we have to say, there are some things worth dying for. and i think the country is one of them. >> for more of that exclusive edward snowden interview, can you go to nbcnews.com. now to our other top story, calls for the resignation of eric shinseki. they grow louder following a new troubling report about veterans' care. the inspector general identifies at least 1,700 veterans not registered on waiting lists. according to the report, more than 200 vets were left waiting 115 days for their first appointment. >> these are criminal problems.

we need the fbi and the department of justice to be involved in this investigation. >> arizona senators john mccain and jeff flake are among the growing list of lawmakers calling for secretary shinseki resign. meanwhile, defense secretary chuck hagel ordered a comprehensive review of the military health care system. not every problem has a military solution. that's what president obama told cadets at west point. speaking to the graduating class, the president said the united states will continue to be a world leader and pursue peace and freedom, but he also said, quote, just because we have the best hammer does not mean that every problem is a nail. >> i will betray my duty to you and to the country we love if i ever sent you into harm's way simply because i saw a problem somewhere in the world that needed to be fixed or because i was worried about critics who

think military enter vepinterve the only way for america to avoid looking weak. >> meanwhile, joe biden congratulates cadets for their achievements. he challenged them to create a new world order for the 21st century. over to sports right now. and it was a do or die for the indiana pacers against the miami heat. take a look at this. >> james, a three-pointer. puts it in and ties the game! frank vogel is trying to get a time-out. a three! bang! >> unstoppable. indiana's paul george scoring a game high 37 points. miami's lebron james, well, he got hampered by fouls. he got seven points and two rebounds. he gives up the ball in the final seconds. chris bosh's game winner won't go. it's indiana 93-90. they trail miami 3-2 in the series. also a save on nhl ice. chicago avoids elimination. double overtime. chicago's michael handzus comes up big.

>> shot. handzus, he scores! >> a beauty. chicago beats l.a., 5-4, but trails 3-2 in the series. squares to bunt and drops it up the first base line, and they're going to reach it, and they throw it away! he's headed to third! they're going to send him home! here's the throw to the plate! the bluejays have walked off the rays! >> sound the horn, my friends. he makes it home from first base. toronto over tampa, 3-2. at the french open, both serena and venus williams got their title hopes tumbled in the second round. two unranked players september number one seeder is serena and 29th seed venus home. that is a first since the 2011 wimbledon. got to wait till next year, serena. tiger woods pulled out of the u.s. open. woods still has not taken a full swing since his back surgery. it's the second major he'll miss this year. and we got more good news from jim kelly's camp. the nfl great finished his final

round of radiation wednesday. kelly is battling sinus cancer which his doctor says is very treatable and potentially curable. and bill karins, as all of this watch this, so many people are rooting for them. >> this is a recurrence for him, too. hopefully he'll be cleared after this. knock on wood. in louisiana, all the flooding, continues to rain hard moving along the gulf coast. it's chilly in new england. the little storm system in northern louisiana, there's a lot of warm, tropical air from new orleans over towards mobile. flash flood watch up to three to five inches additional to what you've already received. and we do have flash flood warnings. careful driving west on i-10 out of mobile. we could see an additional three to four inches in the mobile area during the day today. so that's definitely the concerned spot. and how about these temperatures in new england? 41 this morning in hartford. the heat's on in your house. you had the a.c. on about two days ago, and now the heater's probably on. we will go back up to 69 this afternoon. still very chilly, too,

philadelphia and d.c. >> schizophrenic weather, huh? >> it's spring. it's been like a typical spring. >> june's around the corner, my friends. brad pitt, socked in the face on a red carpet. plus, a $55 starbucks drink that will send your mind racing and your wallet, too. and a look at a woman that expanded all of our minds next.

i dbefore i dosearch any projects on my home. i love my contractor, and i am so thankful to angie's list for bringing us together. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust. and i get a lot in return with ink plus from chase i make a lot of purchases for my business. like 60,000 bonus points when i spent $5,000 in the first 3 months

after i opened my account. and i earn 5 times the rewards on internet, phone services and at office supply stores. with ink plus i can choose how to redeem my points. travel, gift cards even cash back. and my rewards points won't expire. so you can make owning business even more rewarding. ink from chase. so you can.

let's get down to business with cnbc's morgan brennan. good morning to you. let's talk apple. >> well, it's official. apple is buying beats electronics for $3 billion to boost its music business, its streaming businesses like spotify and digital downloads. apple not only gets beats and its high-end headphones but also high-profile talent as well as co-founder jimmy and rap star dr. dre join the company. meanwhile, a judge in chicago will consider a motion to consolidate lawsuits over gm's

ignition switch recall into a single class action. plaintiffs' lawyers want the current and not the prebankruptcy gm to be held liable for the recall. and at&t is getting a new ride. it struck a deal with uber, preloading a popular car service app onto android that will be sold exclusively through its stores. all uber drivers will also use at&t's network. back to you. >> because uber isn't already popular enough. one of the most powerful voices in modern u.s. history has passed away. maya angelou was an acclaimed author, poet and civil rights activist who grew up in jim crow south. she died at her home in north carolina wednesday. nbc's chris clackum looks back at her life and her towering legacy. >> reporter: calling her, quote, one of the brightest lights of our time, a brilliant writer, a fierce friend and a truly phenomenal woman, president obama voiced america's admiration and respect for maya angelou, considered one of the world's most influential women of the last 50 years.

>> she will be missed, but she will not be forgotten. she is a woman who stands way above all of us. >> she was in many ways a bridge that connected us with the past and toward the future. >> reporter: angelou's childhood was reflected in an autobiography "i know why the caged bird sings," with vicious racial discrimination in the south at that time. among her accomplishments, pulitzer prize nominations, three grammys, more than 30 honorary degrees. and the presidential medal of freedom. plus a request to compose a poem for president clinton's inauguration in 1993. >> come, you may stand upon my back and face your distant destiny, but seek no haven in my shadow. >> reporter: mourners were adding all day to makeshift memorials at her home in north carolina. >> she was just a strong,

positive influence for all generations from here in the united states, across the world. >> reporter: as well as the one in harlem. >> she was so eloquent in her humanity. >> even though she's gone, we still have her work to remind us of who she was. >> reporter: and how remarkable she was. chris clackum, nbc news, winston-salem, north carolina. and now to some other stories that we're following for you. chicago's mayor's office says gun murders there are triple what they are in new york. that's why mayor rahm emanuel is proposing to prohibit gun sales in over 99% of the city. all gun sales would also have to be videotaped to deter fake i.d.s. a legal challenge to the mayor's court-ordered ordinances is expe expected. a new study shows almost one-third of the population or 2 billion people are overweight or obese. the u.s. is first. obesity is at the center of

a war of words. first republicans loosen nutrition requirements for school lunches. first lady michelle obama then lashes out. the gop fires back yesterday, defending its actions. now the first lady is again returning fire. in a "new york times" op-ed this morning saying, quote, when we make decisions about our kids' health, we rely on doctors and experts who can give us accurate information based on sound science. our leaders in washington should do the same, end quote. an adult film star takes on toronto mayor rob ford. california residents want to create a 51st state. and a smaller chris christie. all that in "scrambled politics" next. u. you fed your lawn earlier this spring and now you're at it again. we're concerned. scott: (chuckles) thanks neighbors, but summer's on its way. and while the grass may look bonnie green and lovely now, it still needs a late-spring feeding to keep it that way. another feeding now with scotts strengthens and helps defend your lawn from the brutal heat and heavy use to come. nbr: we knew that, right guys? oh yeah... let's go feed! scott: get scotts turf builder lawn food. feed your lawn. feed it!

what's your favorite kind of cheerios? honey nut. but... chocolate is my other favorite... oh yeah, and frosted! what's your most favorite of all? hmm...the kind i have with you. me too. i tr ied depend last weekend. it really made the difference between a morning around the house and getting a little exercise. unlike the bargain brand, depend gives you new fit-flex®, our best protection. it's a smooth and comfortable fit with more lycra strands.

get your free sample at depend.com. welcome back. now here's your first look at "scrambled politics." the oneida indian nation and the national congress of american indians wednesday sent a letter to every player in the nfl asking them to take a stance against the redskins name. initially the group tweeted the players with the #rig the #rightsideofhistory. seven counties in northern california are taking steps to form a 51st state named jefferson. they have a combined population of 467,000 residents. on june 3rd, voters in two of those counties will have a chance to decide on secession from california to form that 51st state. yeah. a new report from "the l.a. times" finds colorado's neighboring states are frustrated over a new wave of marijuana traffic. law enforcement officials in nebraska county say they have seen a sharp rise in marijuana trafficking busts since colorado legalized pot. new jersey governor chris

christie thanking a woman for a comment she made at a town hall event. take a listen. >> you're a much smaller person. i believe everyone should know that. >> yeah, well, thank you. it's -- let's not be totally unfair. i am much smaller now than i used to be. so i used to -- i used to be bigger. i'm getting smaller. yeah, i know, my wife told me i have to get more new suits. >> well, the governor also tweeted out the video clip saying to the woman from today's town hall that gave me this compliment, thank you, and my wife agrees. toronto mayor rob ford, a new candidate is in town. porn star nikki benz ran into a little red tape but tried to formally to run for mayor wednesday. she is using the slogan "trade in your ford for a benz." when asked if she's ever smoked crack, "the toronto sun"

reporting "no, no, i don't even smoke cigarettes." and with that, that's your morning dish of "scrambled politics." less than 24 hours after the v.a. inspector general released its report, more democrats and republicans want a new secretary. the recommendations from the report, fourfold. care for 1700 vets not on the list, identify vets at greatest risk, review all wait lists and review all new enrollee cases. syndicated columnist bob franken joins us right now. so bob, you see that list of recommendations. not on that list for secretary eric shinseki is for him to resign. >> well, i suspect that it's only a matter of time. i mean, the way things work in washington is for a while, a president, not just this president, but a president will stand behind somebody, but at the same time, it would not surprise me at all if there is a very, very subtle, perhaps not-so-subtle effort to get him to resign in a little bit after the heat is off just a little bit.

>> it seems to be moving that way. another development overnight -- and you may have seen some of that -- that's the edward snowden exclusive interview that we had on nbc news. he described himself not as a spy but that he was trained as a spy. he also said that the state department is at fault for him being in moscow, russia. he also, as you saw in some of the interview, he says he can now sleep at night. what did you think of the interview? >> well, first of all, it was a really fine job by nbc and brian williams. and it was very revealing. but i don't think that it will probably persuade anybody on either side. i think that coming out of it, people are going to either still think of him as a traitor or a hero. what was interesting was the comment by secretary of state john kerry which was that he should man up and come home. and i suspect the response would be that maybe the administration should man up and let the american people, know how much they're being spied upon. >> isn't the american people, those who are perhaps on the

fence here, bob, when you listen to the interview, though, very calm, very well collected in his thoughts. you have to wonder whether he perhaps got more supporters after that interview. >> well, i doubt it. i just think that this is the kind of thing where people have pretty much hardened their opinions. while it was very revealing, i don't think he said anything that was really a surprise. what i think was the value of that interview, and it was particularly a tribute to television, you were able to see the human being and get some idea about something that is very human as opposed to being just a debate. >> very revealing. very interesting stuff there. bob franken, thank you, as always. >> thank you. the most expensive starbucks drink ever created. plus, brad pitt attacked on the red carpet with angie right by his side, next. all over the world know us, but they don't yet know we're a family. we're right where you need us. at the next job, next adventure or at the next exit helping you explore super destinations

and do everything under the sun. 12 brands. more hotels than anyone else in the world. so wherever you want to be, whatever you want to do, chances are we're already there. save up to 25% and earn bonus points when you book at wyndhamrewards.com. thank you. thank you. i got this. oh, no, i'll get it! let me get it. uh-uh-uh. i don't want you to pay for this. it's not happening, honey. let her get it. she got her safe driving bonus check from allstate last week. and it's her treat. what about a tip? oh, here's one... get an allstate agent. nice! [ female announcer ] switch today and get two safe driving bonus checks a year for driving safely. only from allstate. call 866-905-6500 now. here we go! hold on man. is that a leak up there? that's a drip. whoo. okay. aah. now that's a leak. that is a leak! and if you don't have allstate renters insurance... game over.

[ female announcer ] protect your valuables from things like water damage for as low as $4 a month when you add renters insurance to your allstate auto policy. call 866-905-6500 now. plus, drivers who switched saved an average of $498 a year. just a few more ways allstate is changing car insurance for good. [ female announcer ] call an allstate agent and get a quote now. we are the thinkers. the job jugglers. the up all-nighters. and the ones who turn ideas into action. we've made our passions our life's work. we strive for the moments where we can say, "i did it!" ♪ we are entrepreneurs who started it all... with a signature. legalzoom has helped start over 1 million businesses, turning dreamers into business owners. and we're here to help start yours.

the l.a. premiere of "maleficent." "the daily mail" saying the perp is the hollywood prankster and has been booked on suspicion of misdemeanor battery. he's the same guy, by the way, who crawled under america ferrara's dress at cannes. and starbucks gold members, they get a free drink for every dozen purchased. a blogger named andrew said okay, that sounds good. by the way, he's of the consumerist. he took full advantage, ordering a 60-espresso shot, 128-ounce milk shake that retailed for $54.75. andrew is saying it was delicious after drinking only up with-third of the beverage. >> 60 shots. and he thank one-third of it.

he had 20 shots. ten you need a defibrillator. >> two or three, maybe. i'm richard lui along with bill karins. this is "first look" on msnbc." "way too early with thomas roberts" starts right now. this issue has reached a level that requires the justice department involvement. these allegations are not just administrative problems. these are criminal problems. it's time for secretary shinseki to step down. and if secretary shinseki does not step down voluntarily, then i call on the president of the united states to relieve him of his duties, to fire him. >> as more details emerge from the v.a. mismanagement scandal, the chorus grows louder for secretary shinseki to go. is president obama listening or will he stand with his general in charge? america loses one of her most iconic voices.

dr. maya angelou passes away, but her words are eternal. and a couple of incredible finishes in the nba and the nhl playoffs. the last-second drama that kept two teams alive to fight another day. this is "way too early"! hi there, everybody, good morning, i'm thomas roberts. it is thursday, may 29th. welcome to "way too early," the show that is not going to complain about the length of the playoffs anymore even though they totally drag on forever. forever. so we're going to talk more about that in sports. but we want to start out with what's taking place as voices grow louder in d.c. we've got the v.a. watchdog is out with its initial report on the phoenix v.a. facility. and the news is not good. investigators found data was manipulated and reports were concealed in an attempt to hide prolonged wait times. the report says 1,700 individualwe